No Chance
by Lady Cousland
Summary: Luna never thought they had anything in common, but one letter could change everything.  "She still loved him. We had no chance."  Luna/Kevin/Anissa/Jin


**No Chance**

It was a cold night on Castanet. Winter had been doubly harsh this year, with northerly winds blowing fiercely day and night. Anissa brought her scarf higher up on her face and clutched a letter even tighter with her free hand. She didn't want it to blow away and possibly end up in the wrong hands. It was meant for Kevin, no one else. She was already taking a risk by leaving it where his wife could find it.

Once she had reached Kevin's acre of land, Anissa quietly put the envelope into the mailbox at the end of his property. It was easier for her to leave this way, she decided. Quietly, without a fuss, with no regrets. She slipped away into the shadows, but not before blowing him one last kiss goodbye.

In his home, Kevin sat up his armchair suddenly, where he had fallen asleep only a few minutes before. He brought a hand up to his cheek. He was certain that he had felt something, but there was nothing there. He looked toward the bed, where his wife, Luna, was watching him.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, a curious look on her face.

"Nothing," he answered. "I suppose I was dreaming."

"Come to bed, Kevin. You've been working too hard," she said, shaking her head disapprovingly.

The farmer stood up, stifled a yawn and went to sleep beneath the covers, beside his wife.

* * *

The next morning, Luna let her husband sleep in a little longer. She couldn't bear to see the bags underneath his eyes, the lacklustre shine in his usually bright green orbs. She hated winter. Not only did the cold take away the beauty of the land, it claimed her husband as well. Kevin worked twice as hard as usual to keep their income steady in the colder season. Luna had appreciated his efforts in the beginning, but she soon tired of them, realizing that he was slowly killing himself for her.

The tailor was careful not to wake her partner as she put on her coat, ready for the long walk to work. It would take her an hour, she estimated sullenly, noticing that an inch of fresh snow had fallen that night.

"Goodbye," she whispered, closing the front door behind her. She shoved her hands into her pockets as she made her way to the main road. Her step was slow but sure; while it was slippery, she knew where the worst patches were and avoided them gracefully. A troubled Luna forgot about the worst one of all, however, and slipped, holding on to the mailbox for support.

_There's a letter, _she thought, regaining her composure. She quickly slipped her gloved hands into the box, grabbing hold of a neat envelope. It was addressed to Kevin, she read, recognizing the handwriting immediately. _Anissa's, _she realized bitterly, her husband's first love.

"Hmph!" Luna crumpled it up and hid it in her pocket. Luna guiltily realized how childish she was being, but dismissed her feelings as normal. She had every reason to be suspicious of Anissa, from the rumours circulating Harmonica Town to the other woman's elegance and sophistication.

_I can always hide it, _Luna thought carefully. _Kevin doesn't need to know. _The pink-haired woman resisted the urge to read it. Despite what she told Kevin, the fact that the other townsfolk deemed her immature bothered her. She didn't want to prove them right.

And so Luna continued her way to work, wondering what Anissa had written in the letter to her fellow farmer.

* * *

Kevin woke up hours later, swearing at himself for wasting time. Despite what he told his wife, her lifestyle was too lavish for the money he made in winter. The only thing that stopped him from working twenty-five hours a day was the fact that days weren't that long, and that day in particular, his body's exhaustion.

He groaned as he sat up in bed, bringing his wife in from the other room.

"You've been asleep all day," she said tenderly.

Kevin nodded, his throat too raw for him to speak. He knew that he was getting sick. Another obstacle.

"I made you tea." Luna put a cup of the hot beverage on the nightstand.

"Thank you," Kevin croaked, his voice hoarse.

"I bought medicine from Jin," Luna continued. "He said that Anissa left last night. He's heartbroken," she added, hoping that her own husband wouldn't feel the same way. Luna's eyes shifted guiltily to her coat hanging on the door.

Kevin's eyes widened, but he did nothing but nod. He had seen it coming, but he'd assumed that the brunette would have come to say goodbye at the very least. Perhaps he hadn't known her as well as he'd thought.

"You should rest some more. Irene is worried about you." Luna tilted her head. "As a matter of fact, she gave me a special remedy. You're the only person she's ever made it for. It's extremely hard to find the ingredients. It's in my coat, if you need some." Luna smiled. "It's in the left pocket!" she said loudly. "Or you can ask me for it if you'd like some later."

Kevin found his wife's behaviour suspicious, but was too weak to do anything. "I just want to sleep right now," he admitted. "Did you feed the cows yet?"

"No, but I'll go do that now."

"Take my jacket. You'll be warmer that way," Kevin offered. He watched as his wife got on the tips of her toes to reach the hook where his jacket and scarf hung. She quickly zipped up the jacket and took her own gloves before slipping out the door.

As for Kevin, he lay back down in his bed. His eyes closed of their own accord and he fell into a feverish, fitful sleep.

A few hours later, he woke up in cold sweat. He felt his wife's body next to his, her breathing regular. He needed Irene's special remedy, but, as not to disturb his wife, Kevin decided to get it for himself.

His step was tentative, but Kevin found his way to the door in the dark. He could feel the cold seeping into the cottage through the space beneath the door. The ill farmer slipped his hand into both of Luna's coat pockets, not remembering which one contained the elderly nurse's special concoction.

"What is this?" he whispered to himself, as his hand found a crumpled piece of paper. He pulled it out, set it on the table and flattened it out. Kevin could barely make out his name on the envelope, so he took the letter next to window to read it by moonlight.

_Dear Kevin,_

_I still watch you from afar, but you know that already. Of that I am sure. Just the other day I saw you stare straight at me. Perhaps I imagined it. Perhaps I imagined everything about you. _

_I don't suppose you know why I left Castanet the first time. You hadn't arrived yet, after all. I told them all that I left to look for seeds that could better the land. Granted, I did find them, though they were not exactly what I was searching for. You see, there was something I hoped to find on the mainland, something I hopelessly pined for while we were together, something that I know can only be found once this is all over._

_Peace._

_Peace is a fickle thing. It is neither an emotion nor a feeling. It is a state of mind, a state of mind so hard to come by. At least to me, it was. _

_I do not wish to harm you by leaving for the mainland once again, but I will not lie and say that I do not hope that it won't hurt you. I would like nothing more than to know that I did mean something to you all along. I know in my heart that I do not. It seems that one can do nothing but hope in this world._

_I send you and Luna all my blessings. May joy be plentiful in the lives you have ahead of you,_

_Anissa_

Kevin felt his arms go limp. His wife had announced that his teenage sweetheart had left the island, but he hadn't known that she loved him still. Two emotions battled in his feverish mind for dominance: nostalgia and anger, nostalgia for the simplicity of the past, anger at his wife for hiding something so important from him. He threw the letter back onto the table and went to sit in the armchair. He couldn't bring himself to sleep in the bed that night.

Little did he know that he would never sleep in the bed ever again. The next morning, Luna, worried after noticing that her husband wasn't sleeping soundly beside her, jumped out of bed and ran to the living room.

Luna screamed, she yelled, she cried. Kevin appeared to be sleeping in the armchair, but she knew he wasn't. She walked up to him, shook him roughly, sobbing uncontrollably.

Kevin didn't respond.

Luna, once all her tears had fallen, picked up the telephone shakily. She struggled to remember Jin's number, but finally dialled it correctly. She didn't need to wait very long; the doctor answered her call quickly, and promised that he'd be there shortly.

Luna had never experienced a longer wait in her life. Not only was Jin's horse very slow, but it had begun to snow again. Castanet was expecting another four inches of powder, one inch for every year she and Kevin had been together, Luna noted sadly.

"Luna?" An hour and a half later, Jin arrived, his head peeking through the mail slot. Luna had never liked that habit of his, but she'd always ignored it. He had always had a soft spot for Anissa and Luna secretly hoped that they would marry one day, so that she could cease worrying about her husband's faithfulness. A faithfulness she regretted having put into question in the first place.

"He's in here," Luna answered, her voice throaty. "The door is unlocked."

Jin pulled the door shut behind him and entered the room, a sober expression upon his face. Whether it was because of Anissa's departure or Kevin's death, Luna wasn't certain.

"I brought a flower," he said uncomfortably. He put a long-stemmed lily on the table and quickly got to work. Luna found herself staring at the table, where Anissa's letter lay. He had found it, she realized. He had been angry the night he died. Luna decided to read it, believing that it could do no harm now. The woman's blue eyes teared up and she let out a soft sigh.

Jin looked up from what he was doing. His inquisitive eyes probed Luna. "That letter is from Anissa." It wasn't a question, so Luna didn't feel the need to answer. "I'll write to her for you," he offered.

"Okay." Luna knew how he felt. Jin remembered Anissa and Kevin's story just as well as she did, if not more. She truly appreciated his offer, knowing very well that the pair had hurt him as well.

"You're very welcome." Luna looked at him, noticing the unshed tears brimming in his eyes. They were silent for a moment, before Jin continued. "This is my fault. Yesterday..." He paused, as if looking for the right words. "I wished him dead. I felt as if it were his fault Anissa left."

Luna noted his use of the past tense. "And now?" she asked tentatively.

"I know that it is Anissa's fault that Kevin left." Jin found himself looking down at his feet. He was unused to talking to anyone like this, especially not outgoing people like Luna, though she was anything but bubbly today.

"Here," Luna said slowly, taking the infamous letter off the table. "You can read this." She handed it to the doctor, who took it cautiously. "She still loved him. We had no chance." She laughed bitterly and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'd rather not read it," Jin admitted. "Thank you for the offer."

Luna nodded, the rest of her tears threatening to fall.

"There's someone at the door," Jin said after a moment. "I think it's your sister and her husband. I'd best leave." He bowed his head. Luna didn't answer.

"Hello?" Luna heard her sister, Candace, call.

"In here, Candace," she answered. She didn't take her eyes away from Jin.

"There you are!" Another voice, a slightly more masculine one this time, said. It was Candace's husband, Julius. The couple let themselves in and Candace immediately hugged her sister.

"I'm going to need help with this," Jin said, pointing toward Kevin's body.

"I'll do it," Julius said quickly. Luna appreciated the gesture. Julius wasn't one to offer help like that to others, though he did on occasion. She was glad that this was one of those times.

"Goodbye, Luna," Jin said, bowing his head once more. "I'm sorry for your loss." Luna knew that he meant it.

"Thank you, Doctor," she answered sincerely, another tear streaming down her left cheek, "For everything."

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I tried my hand at three 'rare' pairings this time: Jin/Anissa, Kevin/Anissa and Luna/Jin. I didn't expect it to be Luna/Jin-ish, but that's the way it turned out!

Please leave a review! I'd like to know if I did the characters justice. Are they in character? Do you like weaker Kevin? What about the way I portrayed Luna?

Thank you so much!


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